Ex-Public school grad jailed for dealing MDMA

His parents are both police officers

| UPDATED

A privately educated graduate has been jailed for dealing MDMA and weed while he was on bail.

Hull Economics grad Alex Wardle, 22, who dreamed of a future in the financial sector was sent to prison for four years and four months.

Alex’s police officer parents struggled to hold back tears as a judge told him his good background would not save him from jail.

Alex Wardle has been handed over four years in jail for dealing while on bail

The former student was first caught in November 2014 when police stopped him after smelling cannabis.

They searched him and found two bags of ecstasy tucked into his underpants, a bag of cannabis in his car, £250 in cash and a “dealers list”.

At his student flat in Hull they also found a further £100 worth of ecstasy, £40 of cannabis and £515 hidden inside a suitcase.

Two mobile phones contained texts relating to drug deals with one concerning selling the ecstasy at local nightclubs.

Wardle initially denied dealing drugs and claimed the ecstasy and cannabis he had were purely for his own use.

But seven months later – while on police bail – officers carried out a second raid on his home and found £1,400 worth of ecstasy and £100 in cash hidden in kitchen cupboards.

A set of electronic scales and a mobile phone, containing text messages linked to drug dealing, were also found.

Alex dealt MDMA and Weed in Hull clubs

Alex, originally from Nottingham, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply.

Robin Smith, defending for Alex, told Hull Crown Court it was a “very sad” case and the business and economics student bitterly regretted the actions that had ruined his future.

Mr Smith said: “He is just 22 years of age, he comes from a very good family background, he was privately educated and left school with excellent GCSEs and A-levels.”

“He has a degree in business economics and wanted to work in the finance sector. He has wrecked any prospect of that now.

“His motive behind what he has done it is very vague.

“He has been supported by his parents and grandparents, he has the usual student debts, but not excessive.

“Quite why he decided to get involved in this is not clear.”

Recorder Darren Preston told Wardle: “Someone as intelligent as you should have taken your first arrest as a wake-up call.

“That would make most decent people sit up and take note that what they had done was wrong, but you did not.

“You were basically a street level dealer. You were not in any financial difficulties, you did it for greed.

“Drugs cause untold misery.

“People who take drugs become addicted to them. I am sure your parents saw a great deal of people who became so low from drug use.

“I cannot imagine what your parents are going through. It will be a long time before they can come to terms with what you did.

“This is a terribly sad case for all concerned. However I would be failing miserably in my public duty if I were to impose anything other than a custodial sentence.

“The public must know that Class A drug dealers go to prison and do not escape punishment because they come from a good background.”